Access to fresh fruits and vegetables should be a right, not a privilege. But for many families across the Twin Cities, rising food costs make it the first thing cut from the grocery list. BrightSide’s Pay What You Can (PWYC) program exists to make sure that never has to happen.
PWYC is simple and powerful. Families receive a weekly bag of fresh, high-quality produce delivered right to their door. And they literally pay what they can. Some weeks that’s a few dollars. Some weeks it’s nothing at all. No questions asked.
How the Program Works
PWYC is entirely volunteer-run and sustained by small donors who believe every family deserves access to healthy food. Volunteers pack and deliver the produce each week, and community members pitch in to cover the cost beyond what families can afford.
Today, 60 families are actively enrolled in PWYC—but our waitlist is even longer. Demand continues to grow, and the program can only expand as quickly as community support allows.
Here’s the part that surprises people the most:
Just 200 people giving $5 per week would fully cover the cost gap for every family currently in the program.
That’s it.
Five dollars.
One coffee.
One quick impulse purchase in a weekly grocery order.
And that $5 makes all the difference.
“How Much Does $5 Matter?”
A Story From the Community
At our recent gala, longtime PWYC volunteer Carter shared a story that captures the heart of this program.
Years ago, BrightSide received a grant to support an early version of PWYC at three different Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) buildings. With the grant covering most of the cost, families only paid $3 per bag of produce valued over $20. Every week, we distributed around 50 bags—enough to support nearly every family in those buildings.
Then the grant ended, and we had to increase the cost to $8 per bag.
And instantly, we lost every single family in the program. None of them could afford the additional five dollars.
Five dollars. That was the difference between families receiving over $20 worth of produce each week and families going without.
Five dollars may feel small, but to a PWYC family, it’s everything.
Together We Can Close the Gap
PWYC works because people believe in helping their neighbors. Small donors chip in a little each week so families can receive a lot. Volunteers show up. And families get to cook, eat, and thrive with real, fresh food.
If 200 people commit to giving $5 a week, every current family stays enrolled—and we can begin reaching people on the waitlist too.
Will you be one of the 200?
Your $5 means a full bag of produce on a family’s doorstep next week.
It means a child eating fresh fruit after school.
It means a grandparent cooking and passing down a family recipe.
Most of all, it means no one gets left behind because of their income or ZIP code.